Never say never to another Jaden Smith/Justin Bieber collaboration. Ten years after their first song together, Jaden and Justin reunited to profess how they’re ‘Falling For You’ – yes, YOU.
What a difference a decade makes. Both Jaden (aka Jaden Smith) and Justin Bieber have grown quite a lot since their first collab, 2010’s “Never Say Never.” Justin, 26, has gone on to become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and Jaden, 22, has grown into one of his generation’s most unique and creative voices. Now, these two have reunited for “Falling For You,” a new song off of Jaden’s CTV: Cool Tape Vol. 3. In the song (released on Aug. 28), the pair reflect on the magic of young love. “I think I’m falling for you…Can you call me after school? (After school)/I told her I wanna talk to you,” Jaden sings against a guitar beat. “Crazy for your love, I do the most/Walkin’ the street up to your mama’s house,” he went on, adding a nostalgic vibe to the song.
Justin popped up at the 1:50 mark, delivering a Michael Bublé-esque verse. “Yeah, the thought of you fills me with bliss/Looking forward to making memories we reminisce (Hey),” the Canadian-born star sang, showing off a different vocal style than the R&B vibe on his latest album, Changes, which was largely inspired by wife Hailey Baldwin, 23. “Got a whole lot to risk/Don’t take my heart into the abyss,” he sang, before harmonizing with Jaden. The song was an unexpected but welcome change in sound from both, and is a perfect late summer tune.
“Never Say Never” remains Jaden’s highest-charting single, reaching No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. His song “Icon” – from Jaden’s 2017 album SYRE — reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. While it didn’t make the Hot 100, it was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2019. Jaden followed SYRE with ERYS in 2019. Outside of his studio albums, Will Smith’s son has pursued the Cool Tape series of mixtapes, releasing The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 1 in 2012, CTV2 in 2014, and The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story in 2018.
Both Justin and rapper Raury were listed as features on this mixtape. Interestingly, Tyler, The Creator was not. Tyler, 29, worked with Jaden on “NOIZE,” off of Jaden’s ERYS, about six months after Jaden named the Odd Future rapper as his boyfriend. I just want to say, Tyler, the Creator is the best friend in the world, and I love him so f–king much,” Jaden said during the 2018 Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. “Tyler doesn’t want to say, but Tyler’s my motherf–king boyfriend, and he’s been my motherf–king boyfriend my whole f–king life. Tyler, the Creator is my f–king boyfriend. It’s true. Tyler The Creator is my f–king boyfriend, if you take anything away from this f–king show, that’s what you take away!”
During the performance, Tyler was seen shaking his finger back and forth, seemingly disagreeing with this statement. When Jaden later tweeted, “Yup [Tyler] Told Everyone You Can’t Deny It Now,” Tyler responded with, “Hahaha you a crazy n***a man.” When Tyler won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album (for his earth-shattering IGOR), Jaden tweeted, “My Boyfriend Just Won A Grammy.”
Speaking of “Boyfriend” – specifically, the singer behind the 2012 song of the same name – Justin has had a busy 2020 so far. He released his album Changes, told his story in his Facebook Watch docuseries Seasons, and spent some quality time sheltering-in-place with his wife, Hailey Baldwin. They even made time to visit each other’s exes. Hailey and Justin visited Shawn Mendes at a recording studio in LA on Aug. 20, prompting some to wonder if there’s a collab in the works. Three days later, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner dropped by the Biebers’ home in Beverly Hills for a dinner party that ignored L.A.’s strict socially distantly guidelines.
